Turnberry is one of the most cherished jewels in that empire and Trump worked closely with the R&A to approve the radical overhaul of the iconic Ailsa Course, which is due for completion at the end of May.

With 2022 set to be the earliest available date that Turnberry could be considered to host The Open again, the R&A are in no hurry to face the inevitable storm of criticism that would come with giving Trump the nod at this stage.

Trump (Image: Sns Group)

But yesterday chief executive Martin Slumbers insisted Turnberry remains on their 10-strong list of venues and that politics should not be judged above the quality of a course.

He said: “I think it’s very important that we stay focused on the golf and staging one of the world’s best sporting occasions – and that we do not comment on politics.

“The game is about people who enjoy playing the game and watching the best players perform on great courses.

“Turnberry’s a most wonderful course, a brilliant test of links golf and it certainly ranks as one of the 10 best links courses that we have in this country.

“But we are also very focused on the macro-environment and we are aware of that.

“As an organisation, we believe golf should be open to all regardless of gender, race, nationality or religion.

“We have announced venues out to 2019. We are in advanced negotiations around 2020 and 2021. One is in England because we like a balance between English and Scottish courses.

“At no point during those discussions has Turnberry been part of that. While 2022 is something we don’t have to think about for a few years.

“We have a pool of 10 courses and we take it year by year. That pool has not changed. Turnberry is still part of that pool.”